Blue Rocket
by Stonekipsta
Summary: Never thought I'd risk my life for a Pokémon. Let alone more than one. For me, they have always been tools. Nothing more, nothing less. If one was broken, or worse, it was easy enough to get another. My name is Matt Wright. And this is my life as a Rocket
1. Nighttime Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, I'd be getting death threats right now, dontcha think?

**A/N: This fic has swearing, mildly violent descriptions, doesn't hide the B.S. and is probably not your average Pokémon fic. If you read from here on out, it's your choice. You've been warned.**

I never thought I'd risk my life for a Pokémon. Let alone more than one. For me, they have always been tools. Nothing more, nothing less. If one was broken, or worse, it was easy enough to get another. To _take _another. But, of course, it had to be these _particular_ Pokémon. It couldn't be ones that I _didn't_ care for. Oh no. Life would be too simple then. Too easy. My name is Mathew Wright. And this is my life as a Rocket.

* * *

It all started because I had to play hero. I don't know what I was thinking that day. I truly don't. If you asked any of my fellow team members, they would say that I would be the least likely, out of any of them, to stop a beating, including Giovanni himself. Especially if it included a Pokémon. All I know is that if I hadn't taken the long way back to base, if I had stopped to tie my shoe, grab a beer, anything, I wouldn't have seen it happen. I almost wish I hadn't. Things might have been easier.

I was walking down the street of Saffron. It was so late out that I didn't have to worry about cars running me down. I suppose I could say it was a dark and ominous night, but I could also be describing myself. Dark. Ominous. I was maybe 30 minutes away from base. A couple miles, no problem. We just got done with work for the night. My closest friend, Alex, offered to give me a lift, but I declined. They understood. Everyone knows how I am after a raid. Restless and silent. They tell me I get worse after a killing, but I really don't care.

I had just passed the Police Station. Team Rocket has ruled this city so completely, for so long, that being a Police Officer is a joke. I could walk in, right now, and have a coffee with them and they wouldn't do a thing. I even waved a little as I passed. Suckers.

The next window I passed caught my attention. My reflection was clearly painted on its surface, almost as if it were a mirror. Sharp blue eyes, dark shaggy hair, mischievous looking. 6' 1" and built like a Spartan. If it wasn't for the "kill-you-in-your-sleep" attitude, I would probably have a lot more friends. Oh well.

I was looking up into the cloudy sky when I heard it. A sob. Just one. But it was loud enough for me to know where it was. The next alley I looked down, I saw it. Two kids, maybe 15, 16, were mercilessly beating the life out of a tiny Riolu. I didn't know why, and I didn't even care. At first, I settled in to enjoy the show. At first.

It looked at me. And I looked back at it. It's eyes were pleading, while mine were laughing. Then I heard it. I swear, till the day that I die; I will never forget how destroyed and hopeless that voice was.

"_What if it were you?" _

I started at the voice. I know I'm crazy. Possibly insane. But I don't think I'm to the point of hearing voices inside my head. But that's what it was. A definitive female voice. Female, and young, almost childish. I looked back at the Riolu, and this time, it couldn't look at me. One boy, he was wearing ridiculously baggy pants, had begun hitting her in the face.

At that point, I didn't know if it was actually the Pokémon, or my own consciousness. I really didn't care. I was going to find out, and that meant stopping these wanna be's.

"Hey", I called. The other one, chubby, red hair, looked up.

He snarled at me. "What the fuck you lookin' at, faggot?"

Oh, I was mad then. At that point, it wasn't about saving the Pokémon. It was about teaching these morons some respect.

"You are going to stop what you're doing. Now."

He slapped his friend on the shoulder. When he looked up, he pointed to me.

"Yeah?" he asked. "Whatchu gonna do if I don't _feel_ like it, nigga?"

I smiled. They both backed up a step.

"If you don't", I started conversationally, "I will kill both of you, easily I might add, and I will send your body to his family, and his body to yours", I finished.

They both looked at each other. Most likely to see if they had each other's backs or not. It wouldn't of mattered either way. I would've hunted down whoever ran away. I won't go into details, because… I really don't care.

Afterwards, I went to the Pokémon. It was in bad shape, I know from experience. If it didn't get help soon, it would most likely die. Not that I'd care. Then I remembered that voice.

"_What if it were you?"_

I sighed. It just wasn't my night.

* * *

When I walked into the Pokémon Center, everyone froze. Both people and Pokémon. I'm not even in uniform, and they recognize me. Boy, do I have a rep. Nurse Joy became a statue in the midst of handing back a newly-healed pidgey to its owner. I didn't care. I walked straight up to her, cutting in front of the other dozen trainers in line. I gently moved the pidgey's owner out of the way. He unfroze, jumped, grabbed his Pokémon, and was out of the door in less than 3 seconds. Everyone else dared not move.

I don't understand why I have this effect on people. Do they really think I would do something illegal or malicious so publicly? Well, I would, but they shouldn't know that. That's not the point anyway.

I set the unconscious Riolu on the counter. I waited. Nothing. I started to get impatient. I snapped my fingers in front of Nurse Joy's face a few times, till she snapped out of it. Ha, pun.

"Yes?" she whispered.

Another sigh.

"I found this Pokémon in an alleyway. It is severely injured, and is in need of immediate medical attention", I said.

She stared. For so long a time, I thought she had gone brain-dead, she stared. She jumped, and seemed to make up her mind about something.

"Of course! I'll take it right away."

She scooped up the Pokémon into her arms, and turned for the Emergency Room, motioning for the Chansey to follow her.

I turned back to the room full of various trainers and Pokémon. They were in the exact same positions as when I walked in. I shook my head.

"You'd think I was a bad guy or something", I said with a mischievous grin.

Still frozen.

I sighed. Again. There was no point in sticking around any further, so I strode towards the door. I made sure to do my "I-rule-the-world-so-run-for-your-lives" walk. Just for kicks.

As the pneumatic doors closed behind me, I heard every single living thing in the waiting room release a drawn-out breath. I love being bad.

I walked away, thinking, as I was before the whole mess started. I wondered whether or not that Riolu would live to see morning. I wondered if two families would be missing their children tonight. I wondered if some poor kids would go hungry, or become ill, from all the things we stole on our raid. I wondered if that security guard had a family, one that wanted him to come home ok. I wondered about that voice I heard, the one that convinced me to save the Riolu in the first place.

Then I remembered.

I'm not supposed to care.

* * *

**A/N: Just a short Prologue for now. This fic is most likely a lot darker, and more… real, than most other Pokémon fics on this site. I wanted to do something different, one that would most likely happen if Pokémon were real. It's not possible for it to be all goody-goody, as in the games****. Thank you very much to my inspirations, Syzdoth and define-originality. They are extremely talented writers and their fics, while being less dark than my own, are still amazing and deserve to be read and praised.**

**An extra thank you to Syzdoth for pre-reading the prologue, and for allowing me to borrow their main character's last name. You rock!**

**Let me know what you all think.**

**- Stone**


	2. Lunch with a Side of Aura

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

I couldn't sleep that night. I kept thinking about the Riolu. The voice I heard. My entire life, even. Why was I a Rocket? Because I liked the money, power, the badassness. Was it all worth it? I still don't know to this day.

* * *

When the general alarm to wake up was sounded at 6, I was in the gym. I never have gotten into working out regularly. It mostly helps me think. I've been doing a lot of that lately. My team members have been getting suspicious about it. They think I'm up to something, or that I'm about to quit. Like that'll happen. Being a Rocket is all I know. It's what I'm good at it. So they say. Working out was always boring. I put down my weights and headed out the door.

Walking the halls of the Team Rocket HQ, I let myself imagine a different life. Where, instead of joining the Rockets straight out of High School, I became a Pokémon trainer, like all the other kids. I'd challenge the gym leaders and hopefully make it to the Elite 4. My Pokémon would be my friends, instead of partners in crime. I imagine that life a lot now. Who knows, I might try it out. Yeah, right.

I make my way to the mess hall and scan the room for Alex. It takes me forever to pick her out amongst the other hundreds of people dressed all in black. I stopped wearing the uniform years ago. I walk over to her table and sit down next to her.

"Hey," I say glumly.

She laughs. "Hey, Mr. Gloom and Doom. How's life?"

"Not even worth mentioning." I look around to see nobody else sitting at the table with us. That's odd. I have other friends, don't I?

Alex shakes her curly red hair. I guess you could say she did that hair-flip thing.

"You really need to lighten up, Matt. We're living the dream, babe. No one messes with us, and we can do whatever we want."

"Don't call me babe."

"Ok, sheesh, sorry." She goes back to eating her breakfast. I think I might have offended her. Oh well.

"I'm gonna grab some food."

"Whatever."

I get up and go to stand in line with the grunts, since their's is always shorter.

"So, tell me something," I ask the guy in front of me. "Why is it, even though we are the most criminally organized gang in… pretty much the world, we still line up in a nice orderly line to get food."

He shrugs. "Cause we're too lazy to go anywhere?"

* * *

Alex was gone when I got back. I ate my food alone. It doesn't really bother me. Afterwards, I went back to my room to see what we were hitting tonight.

I read it on my computer when I got back.

"_Nothing tonight. Rest up. You've earned it."_

Well, great. Now I have absolutely nothing to do. Maybe I should go apologize for being so rude to Alex. Or maybe I can just say "To hell with it", and go out. Hmm. Pointless apology or hittin' up town…Tough choice. I grabbed my team's Pokéballs and clipped them to my belt. You never know.

* * *

The walk from my room to the garage was a short one. The Administrators of Team Rocket always get the best treatment, so my room was one of the closest to it. From there, it only took seconds to find my Malibu. God, I love this car. Thank you. Of course, it's technically not mine, so maybe I shouldn't thank God.

The drive to Saffron was quick. Ever since some nerdy kid came and obliterated Team Rocket, we moved the HQ out of the city. I still can't believe the reason he won too. If they had allowed the grunts to have 2 or 3 _GOOD_ Pokémon each, instead of ridiculously under-leveled, weak Pokémon, it wouldn't have happened. Rocket was more of a group of bullies back then. No way would I've joined up.

I drove around town listening to some Bullet for my Valentine. I don't normally go for the heavy metal, but it was in my CD player, so I let it run. I had it turned up way too loud. The person in front of me turned around to see who would be such a jackass. When they saw who it was, they kept right on turning. It was almost funny.

"_I hope you've finally gone to a place where you belong."_

Place where I belong. I definitely don't belong with the Rockets. I'm good at being an Admin, I guess, but I've never felt right with them.

"_Then leave."_

I slammed on the breaks. Hard. The guy behind me honked his horn, but I ignored him. That voice. Again. What is it?

"_Come to the Pokémon center"_

Well, great. Random voices telling me to go to the Pokémon Center. This has "Something weird is going to happen" written all over it.

* * *

I'm just sitting in my car, parked in the Pokémon Center's parking lot. Trying to get myself to get out of my car. What a wuss.

"_If you're crazy, it won't really matter what happens."_

"Shut up, Voice!"

"_Yes Master."_

Master? What the F? Ok, this I have to see…

* * *

When I walk in, they all freeze. Again. God, I'm so sick of it. Might as well get this over with.

"Yes, it's me, the big, scary Matt Wright. Either act like I'm just some other person or get the F out. Jeez."

No one leaves, but they unfreeze and go back to what they were doing before I walked in. They keep looking at me out of the corner of their eyes every 10 seconds, but I can live with it.

I walk up to the counter, and tap on it twice. Nurse Joy comes walking out of the back room. When she sees me, she starts, but she doesn't freeze, or start crying. Man, I hate it when they cry.

"Can I help you…sir?"

Sir? Oh, wow. I'm not in uniform here, am I?

"Call this my day off, Nurse Joy. I'm just Matt today. So I'd like it if people would stop treating me differently." I raised my voice near the end so everyone else heard it. They all stopped and stared at me for a few seconds, then went back to their own conversations. About me, I have no doubt. When I turned back to the nurse, she doesn't know what to think. I guess the word is dumbfounded.

"Uhhh…" How eloquent.

"Just call me Matt, ok?"

She gets that "I'm-brain-dead-don't-shoot-me "look on her face again. I don't even have a gun. It's in my car.

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. I guess she understands that I'm running out of patience and decides to not push the few left that I have.

"What can I do for you… Mr. Wright?"

Well, it's a start.

"Uhhh…" Oh my god, I have no idea what to say. _"Oh, I'm here because this voice that I heard last night when I rescued that Riolu told me to come here. What's my straight jacket size? I don't know. A nice padded room you say? _ Crap.

"Mr. Wright?" She looks like my face is melting in front of her.

"Umm…" Wait… the Riolu!

"I'm here to see about the Riolu I dropped off last night." The room goes silent.

"Y-you're h-here to… actually s-see it?" She stutters so hard she should've been in that Billy Madison movie.

"Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?" I turned around on the word "problem". The lemmings went back to whatever. It's getting old, and it hasn't even been 5 minutes yet. Oh god, that's what she said!

I can't even help it, I burst out into this loud, slightly insane laughter. Right there.

Great, now I'm laughing out loud at my own stupid joke. They must really think I'm nuts.

"Mr. Wright?"

"Just show me the Riolu, please." And don't call the people with the big needles while my back is turned.

"Right away, sir." She motions for me to follow her.

* * *

This hallway is really long.

"How is it?" I ask.

She glances at me. "The Riolu has been recovering well. It's been awake some, but is heavily sedated right now in order to heal."

I actually breathe a sigh of relief. I must've been more worried about it then I thought.

"Will there be any permanent damage from its injuries?"

"It's too early to tell, but my guess would be no, none."

We arrived at one of the many generic hospital doors in the Center.

"Can I…?"

She gives me a weird look. "You can go in if you want to, but don't disturb its sleep."

I smirk. "Yes, ma'am." I give a little salute and walk in.

Wow. It looks worse than when I found it.

The Pokémon is really banged up. Its head, entire left arm, and right foot is bandaged. Both eyes are swollen, and it looks like it has trouble breathing. I grab the chart at the foot of the bed and flip though to the analysis. Head trauma, broken foot, cracked ribs, sprained wrist, broken… elbow? You can break your elbow? Wow. I chuckle softly to myself. The noise makes the Riolu stir in its sleep.

I put the chart back and try to quietly tip toe back to the door. Before I make it a foot, I hear a soft yawn behind me. I turn around, and the Riolu is staring at me, all wide-eyed, like I'm some sort of hero. Well, I did save it…

"Hey, little guy." This is weird.

The Riolu makes a huffing noise. O-kay.

"Ummm…little girl?" I try.

It makes a noise that sounds like an affirmative. Well, that solves one mystery.

I walk back over to it. Her. Whatever. She waves at me. Umm…

"You're really young, aren't you?"

She nods. Well, at least she understands me. I sit down on the edge of her bed.

"What happened?"

She immediately shuts down, I can see it. Crap

"You don't have to tell me. You have to know that I'm curious." Damage Control.

She perks up again. I decide a different tactic is needed.

"Where's your family?"

She shrugs. I do a mental face-slap. She's a baby almost. How in the world would she know?

"Do you belong to a trainer, or to someone as a pet?"

She shakes her head.

"So you're wild?"

Another nod. Gee, this conversation is kinda one-sided.

"Has Nurse Joy been taking good care of you?" What the F? Why act like I care? Nice, Matt.

She frowns a little bit. Did I say something wrong?

She smiles and nods her head yes. Wait, yes about Nurse Joy or yes to… Oh, headache.

She frowns again.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll tell Nurse Joy to release you when you're fully healed." I turn away from her and head towards the door.

My hand was reaching for the doorknob when I heard it.

"_Now Master, are you trying to say you're not going to see me again?" _The voice sounds almost playful_._

I turn back around. The Riolu is smiling.

I should've stayed at base and done the stupid apology thing. F my life.

**A/N: A little bit longer than the last one, but not by much. I'll work up to it. What'd you think of the "Your mom" joke I threw in there? I just couldn't resist. I do own a Malibu, and they're sexy cars. Yes, Matt is an Admin. Why else would people choke up when he's around?**

**Thanks sooooo much to my reviewers: Windy Rain, define-originality, and Syzdoth. Define-originality and Syzdoth, thank you so much for the shout outs you gave me on your fics. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Y'all get to meet Matt's team next chapter, so stay tuned for that. :)**

**One last thing, however. I've been undecided with the name of this fic. I think I have switched the title from "Rocket" to "Rocket Man" and back at least half a dozen times. So, I need help. Which title sounds better to you guys? Let me know.**

**- Stone**


	3. Matt goes to Tree Castle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon **

I stared at the Riolu. She was still smiling at me, waiting for me to get it.

"You can talk." It wasn't even a question.

"_Very well, although I am still considered a child by my own kind." _She seemed relieved that I was taking it so easily.

"You're not a psychic type. So how is it possible that I can hear you _inside _my head?" I was getting some answers. I've never really studied the Riolu/Lucario evolutions, even though they're fighting types.

"_It's hard to explain. Normally, my kind cannot, unless we are attuned to our trainer's Aura."_

Aura? What in the world…?

"_Yes, Aura. It's… almost the flavor of the person, the emotional energy coming from them. Their life essence, if you will."_

"You can read my thoughts." Another statement.

"_Very easily, for some reason. The first time I felt your Aura, it was extremely strong to me. Almost as if you __**were**__ my trainer. It's very odd. A connection like this would take months to establish between a trainer and their Riolu. Unless you're a Guardian, but that's not possible." _She sounded puzzled, to say the least.

I don't understand this. My emotional what? A connection like _this_? What connection? I don't feel anything… I'm her trainer? How? I've never seen her in my life, except for last night. A Guardian? What? Why? How? Why?

"_Stop!" _

I looked up to see the Riolu struggling to stand, despite her injuries. She collapsed back on the bed, exhausted.

"_You're giving us __**both **__a headache with your endless questions. Even if they are silent._"

"Then explain what you know, or think you know. Now."

She looked up at me strangely. I guess she doesn't know what type of person I really am.

"_You're a good person, Matt. Deep down, so far you don't even realize it."_

"Enough with the mind-rape! Tell me what is going on. **Before** I start breaking things."

She looks miffed. _"Very well."_

She spends the next hour or so explaining all she knows about Aura, and how it affects the Riolu/Lucario evolutions.

"_Aura is everything. It's in all living things. Their spirit, their emotions, everything. Some Pokémon unwillingly and unknowingly tap into their Aura when they use certain moves, like Dragon Pulse or Detect. Some Pokémon and humans, though they have long been rare in this world, can use their Aura at will. My kind is one example. We can use our Aura to amplify most of our attacks, and to sense things around us, even if we are blinded. We can also read minds, to a point, and sense the intentions behind ones actions. The connection is greater with our Aura-bound trainer. At almost any distance, a trainer and his Lucario can sense one another, communicate without difficulty, and in extremely rare cases, see through each other's eyes. _She pauses.

"And?"

"_Once a trainer and his Lucario… or Riolu… have been bound together, it is impossible to break. Only through death can the connection be lost. And the pain of that lost would very likely cause the survivor to go insane."_

"And what your trying to say, is that you and I our bound together in this way?" I almost couldn't wait to hear the answer.

"_It's the only explanation. There is no other way I would have been able to contact you from so far away.__" _She avoids eye-contact. I guess she knows what I am thinking.

"That's nice. So, where are the cameras?" I look around. A nearby plant looks suspicious.

"_Cameras?"_ Guess she didn't hear that part of what I was thinking.

"Yeah, you know, to catch me believing all this like a fool. Ha ha guys, very funny. Alex? Did you plan this with the others?" I keep looking around, for any sign of evidence that this is just some really sick "Punk'd" joke. Then I look back at the Riolu.

"…"

She waits.

"It's not a joke… is it?"

She shakes her head.

F. My. Life.

* * *

I couldn't stay there anymore. I booked it out of the Pokémon Center, ignoring the stares from the residents, and Nurse Joy's questions. I was in my car, and was driving away before that Blue Devil could read the plan in my mind. I hope.

I needed some place to go and think. I needed to discuss this with my team, see if they had any insight. And I knew just the place I wanted to go.

As I turned onto the road that leads to My Castle, I thought back to when I discovered it.

* * *

_It was almost 9 years ago now. I had just turned 10 years old. My mother was working. I never knew my dad, so God knows what he was up to.__I was wandering around my neighborhood when I saw it: An opening in the woods that lined the east side of the subdivision I used to live in. Being a little kid, I couldn't help but explore it. The woods were dark, mysterious. I knew I shouldn't have been there, but I still wanted to follow the barely-there dirt trail. It had to lead somewhere. After almost 10 minutes of mindlessly walking, the path opened up. Sitting in the middle of a clearing was the biggest tree I had ever seen. It was easily the tallest in the woods. Perhaps the tallest in the city. I gazed up at it in awe. It was huge! It was like a miniature, wooden castle. There were branches all along the trunk, going so far down that I could almost touch the lowest of them. I spent hours in that clearing, either lounging at the base of the tree, or trying my best to climb it. I only ever got a few feet off the ground before I realized I couldn't reach the taller branches quite yet. But that was ok. I knew that I would be coming back to this place for the rest of my life. I would have all the time in the world to fully explore it. I knew that this place was special._

_

* * *

_

I remembered that day clearly. I knew how to get back to My Castle. I passed houses that were infinitely familiar to me. This subdivision never changed, not even once, as time went on. I realized that my mother was still probably living in our old house. I haven't talked to her since I joined the Rockets.

I was pulled out of my reminiscing when I look up and saw that the opening is right in front of me. That's strange. I don't even remember parking or getting out of my car.

I look down into the path. Even though it's the middle of the day, its dark as night in there. I shake my head and brush away the branches that have grown over the entrance. I head down the path, anxiously hurrying to get to my clearing. As I finally clear away the last bush that had grown over the trail, I see it.

It's as beautiful as I remember.

The magnificent tree is the same as when I last had seen it. The clearing is smaller, but it has been a few years since I was here.

I sit down on a giant root rising out of the ground at the base of the tree and let out a long sigh.

Somehow, I'm connected to that Riolu. I didn't feel a thing while I was near it, but now that I know what to look for; I can sense something in my head. A faint whisper, a feather-light touch inside me. A faint tugging in the direction of the Pokémon Center. Great. I am not liking this. I need a second opinion. More than one.

"Come on out guys," I call.

I throw my Pokéballs into the air, and with a blinding flash of light, three Pokémon are standing in front of me.

"Wrath!" "Kir, kir-lia!" "Croaaaaaaa-gunk"

My trio stands before me, awaiting a command.

I look them over carefully, as if seeing them for the first time

Triton, my Poliwrath, looks tough, and as ready as ever. Named after the Ruler of the Sea, and he fights like he is too. He looks at me with a trained eye, assessing my mood and whether or not I'm in pain. Then he looks closer. Seeing as how he was my first Pokémon, I'm not surprised he can tell that there's something wrong _on the_ _inside_.

Psy, my second, twirls on the spot, then stands and awaits orders. He fidgets and dances slightly. It's always been hard for him to stand still, but he tries. Kirlias have always been known to dance. Constantly. I've been searching for a Dawn stone to evolve him for almost a year now.

Cobra looks… bored. As always. Ever since I caught him from the Safari Zone, my Croagunk has been a viscous fighter, and has never given up in a fight. But the guy looks like a pothead on his down time. The red eyes, slacker attitude, and the way he is always hungry, sometimes breaking out of his Pokéball at night to raid my fridge, doesn't help my assessment.

All three of them stand loyally as I look them over. I would trust each and every one of them with my life if push came to shove. Too bad I'm not sure they could trust me with theirs if the reverse were to happen.

"As you were."

They relax, now that they know there is no impending danger, or command.

"Something happened today, at the Pokémon Center."

I explain what went down. Triton quickly examines the new information, and proceeds to try and break it down militarily in his mind.

Psy gasps. **Aura? Connected? **He gets the rest of the information I haven't told her from my mind.

Cobra has no emotion of any kind on his face. He looks… bored. Big surprise.

Triton and Psy glance at each other. I can tell that they are communicating silently. I don't get the point. I don't speak Pokémon anyway.

**Sorry. Forgot, **Psy apologizes.

"What's your take on it?"

**It seems to me, based off of her body language, and the way she…spoke to you," **he shudders,"**that you are indeed connected to the young one.**

I nod. "Triton?"

Psy connects my mind and Triton's for a brief conversation.

**I can't be sure, sir, as I was not at the location when the situation occurred. In my opinion, we should eliminate this security hazard before it becomes worse. The pain it causes you would be minor compared to the bigger implications.**

"Cobra?"

He shrugs. "Croaaaa-gunk." He has always refused the mind-link. I guess it's because he's doubly weak against the psychic type.

"That's it? A shrug?"

He shrugs again. Then he turns to Triton and starts croaking in his own language.

Triton nods. **Sir, Cobra believes that more recon is needed before further action is taken. If we are too hasty, we could possibly lose a new team member. If we move too slowly, however, we risk her turning against us.**

Apparently, Cobra didn't like Triton's translation, as he spoke quickly again to the Poliwrath.

"What?" I ask.

Triton blinks. **My apologies sir. Cobra wishes that I don't, as he said, 'fluff up' his words. What he really said, was "So what? Your connected, big whoop. I say we find out more about this non-psychic mind reader before we do anything else. She could be a new addition." I refuse to do his terrible accent.**

Cobra snorts.

I think it over for some time. "I like Cobra's idea."

"Gunk."

"Let's head back. I need to sleep on it before we do anything more."

I return Cobra and Triton, and then turn to Psy.

"Psy, teleport us to my car."

**Right away.**

The faint dizzying sensation of teleportation washes over my body, then a shimmer of light warps my vision, until we're standing in front of my car.

"Thank you," I tell him.

He nods.

I return him to his Pokéball, and then get in my car.

As I drive away from the woods, I can't help thinking about something the Riolu said.

"_Once a trainer and his Lucario… or Riolu… have been bound together, it is impossible to break. Only through death can the connection be lost…"_

Great. I either have a potential best friend, or the biggest headache of all time. At least I can say my life is interesting.

* * *

**A/N: Now you know what his team is! I don't think an Admin Rocket could have NO Pokémon at all. Just not possible. What'd you all think of the flashback? I won't lie, I think it's pretty terrible, but it'd be even worse if he just went to some random place that was never mentioned before in the story. **

**To Syzdoth, I want to let you know that I'm not ripping off the dream Tobius had in chapter 25 of FH. I've had this chapter written and ready to go since last week. Matt's Castle is a concoction from my own mind only. Great minds think alike I guess lol.**

**All the information I've gotten about Aura and the Riolu/Lucario pokemon can be found at . I've tweaked some of it, but it is _fan_fiction.**

**I'm still trying to get some bigger chapters up, but as of right now, I have no idea where this fic is going. I have a general idea, but the road to get there is completely blank right now. Bear with me.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys.**


	4. RAID! Not the Bug Spray

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

I always wondered what Riolu thought after I left the Pokémon Center. Did it think I was abandoning it? Probably.

* * *

I know that I have to return to Riolu and explain the plan my team and I cooked up. But returning to base and just relaxing for a few hours seemed like a better idea by the second. Of their own accord, my hands turned the wheel towards the Rocket HQ.

The ride back was silent. No radio, no one to talk to. Just me and my thoughts. Being alone with my thoughts is starting to get dangerous. I've been doing things I haven't done since I joined the Rockets. Caring, namely. I feel bad that I walked out on Riolu like that. It's not really her fault, if I understand what she told me. But it sure is a lot to take in.

"I am definitely looking up more about this 'Aura' she kept going on about."

* * *

Back at base, I lean back in my computer chair in my room. I had just spent the last 20 minutes looking things up about this ridiculous Aura, and I must say: If it really exists, it seems to be a useful thing to have, if not more.

It seems that everything the Riolu told me about Aura was true, but she forgot to mention something about humans that can use Aura. No, wait. She did mention something about me being a 'Guardian'.

I turn back to my computer, and clicked back a few pages till I found the right one.

"Ah, here it is. The 'Aura Guardians'."

_An Aura Guardian is the name of a human or Pokémon, through birthright or intense training, that can actually utilize Aura at will. When charged, the color of a person's Aura reflects their personality and disposition. Aura Guardians, trained or not, have an abnormally high Aura, and any being that has the ability to use Aura will be able to sense this. _

_In older times, the Aura Guardians traveled the world, helping people and Pokémon in times of need. When a certain age came to be, Aura Guardians would seek out an apprentice. Someone, person or Pokémon, to learn the skills the Guardian had learned during his or her time._

_Unfortunately, as times have grown more modern, the Aura Guardians have either died out, or gone into hiding. The last known Aura Guardian was Sir Aaron, and his apprentice, a Lucario, whose name was never disclosed._

I clicked out of the window, and shut down my computer. I leaned back into my chair again, pondering what I just read.

"Aura Guardian…" I tried the name out. Sounded like they were superheroes back in the day.

I thought back to when the Riolu told me my Aura was extremely strong, even though she had a fleeting chance to sense it before she was… distracted.

I couldn't be an Aura Guardian… could I? I obviously have never been trained to use Aura, so if I am…this Guardian… it would have had to come from birthright. My mother never even mentioned the word Aura before, let alone spoke of anyone in our family being able to use it. Of course… my father…

I was interrupted from my musings when I heard a loud knock on my door. When I got up to open it, I saw Alex, in full uniform.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We're on call. New shipment of fastballs is coming in from Azalea Town, in Johto. The Boss wants them. Bad."

"Fastballs?"

She snorts. "Yeah. Apparently, they make catching the quick ones easier. Some guy in Johto is still making Pokéballs out of apricorns, and when he realized that some of these Pokéballs haven't been around in years, he started up a company to make and ship them."

"Wow. Pokéballs are made from apricorns?"

"They used to be. Back when the Pokésaurs were still around," she laughs.

I laugh with her. It feels good.

"Hey, sorry. About before. It was a bad night."

She looks at me weird. "Uhhh… Sure. No problem."

"Look, I'd like to go, but there's this thing I have to do at the Pokémon Center."

She shakes her head. "Sorry Matt, but you don't have a choice. The Boss specifically requested you and your Pokémon for this one."

I grind my teeth. This is the last thing I want to do right now. I need to go talk with the Riolu… and my mother.

"Alright, let's just get this over with."

"There's the Matt I know."

* * *

It was a perfect night for a raid. A storm was rolling in, and the cover it provided was excellent. Also, the impending rain meant that most of the normal Security Guard's Pokémon, namely Growlithe, would be severely weakened.

The building we were going to hit was right on the docks. It was a simple looking warehouse. Flat, 3 stories, windows and skylights. Pretty basic. Grunts in speed boats were waiting in the water to unload whatever we got.

Alex told me the plan was for my team and me to sneak in, disable or avoid the guards, find a way to deactivate the security systems, and then open the shipping doors, somehow, for the rest of them to get in and load the stuff onto the speeders.

I stared at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"So, while I go in there**, by myself**, and risk my life, **by myself**, the rest of you will be doing…?"

"Providing cover and look out. And, technically, you have your team too."

"This is such bullshit, and you know it."

She glares at me. "Oh, get over yourself Matt. You've been acting weird the last few weeks, and everyone at base has noticed," She pointedly looks up, where The Boss probably had a spy satellite trained on us. "Everyone. Certain people want to know you're still trustworthy."

"By basically doing a suicide mission. Alone."

"Pretty much."

I look up. I slowly mouth the words "Fuck. You" towards the sky.

"You better be moving when I give the signal."

She smirks. "Yes, sir!"

What a sarcastic little bi-

"Are you going or what?"

"Yeah, yeah. Watch my six."

* * *

This is so stupid.

I sneak up to the side of the building, keeping an eye out for any guards. I pull Psy's Pokéball off of my belt and whisper to it.

"Raid. Keep quiet."

I throw it into the air, and release Psy. Instead of releasing a cry and dancing, he lands on the balls of his feet, ready to go.

I think at him directly, "Tell Triton and Cobra the details."

He looks into my mind, gets the lowdown, and transfers the information to the waiting Pokémon.

**They're good to go.**

I nod. "Teleport us to the roof."

He concentrates for a second, then his eyes glow a faint blue.

The familiar sensation of teleportation fills me, and when I open my eyes, we're on the roof.

"Nice."

He bows.

"Keep Future Sight ready, and your Teleport warmed up."

He nods. This isn't the first time we've done this.

Psy is my own early warning system. If we're about to be caught, his Future Sight will warn him, and he can do what he has to in order to change the outcome.

We sneak over to one of the many skylights. I peer into it to see that it leads into a bathroom, of all things.

"That'll work."

I look at Psy. His eyes are already glowing. The next thing I know, were inside.

**Figured I'd save time.**

I shake my head to clear away the dizziness. Teleportation in succession isn't comfortable to a non-psychic.

I release Cobra and Triton. It's better to have them and their abilities out and ready.

"Triton, be ready to use Hypnosis on any guard we stumble onto," I whisper.

He nods, his game face is on.

"Cobra?"

He looks up.

"Go dark. Scout out the door controls, and get them open when Psy contacts you."

He glances to Psy, and then looks back at me. I can tell what he's thinking.

"I don't care if you don't like psychic types. You've known Psy for a couple years now, and we don't have any other choice. Deal."

He grumbles to himself a bit, but slowly fades out of the visible spectrum with Faint Attack.

I shake my head. Poison types.

I look back at my two other Pokémon.

"Bulk-up, Calm Mind."

They immediately start their respective power-up moves. It can't hurt to be ready.

* * *

**Cobra's PoV**

Stupid psychics. Sure, they useful. But tha' don't mean I gots ta like 'em.

I don't like da sneakin'. I like ta fight. But I gots to do wha' Matt says. He the Sherrif.

I get 'round a corner and almos' kiss a Houndour on tha' muzzle. So much fo tha' psychic's Future Sight.

Tha' stupid mutt growls and sniffs tha' air. I ain't gonna get foun' out so quick like.

Befo' he can blink, he knocked out wit' ma Sucker Punch.

Maybe this won't be so borin' after all.

* * *

**Matt's PoV**

What is it with all the Dark types? Psy is next to useless here. I really need to evolve him, so he can start learning some real moves.

**Thanks a lot Matt. It's not my fault I can't do anything against them.**

I wince. How I forgot about the mind-reading, I don't know.

"Sorry," I whisper.

We've taken care of all the guards and guard Pokémon on the third level. One guard almost made it to an alarm box, but Triton managed to Body Slam him before he could touch it.

I shudder when I remember it. There was a nice clean _crack _when Triton landed on the guy. I think it was his spine.

Now we're slowly moving towards the stairs that lead down to the second level. I can only hope that Cobra hasn't had too tough a time. Of course, knowing him, he probably already cleaned out the ground level. For fun.

* * *

**Cobra's PoV**

Findin' tha' stupid doors was easy 'nough. An', I swear, I was all set ta' jus' wait for Matt an' tha' others, but som' durn stupid guardin' feller had to trip ova' me. I 'ad to jum' on 'im and poison 'im up wit' Toxic real quick, ta keep 'im quiet. Course, that didn't stop 'is screamin'. Tha' rest of 'em are afta me now. I 'ope Matt is 'avin' better luck.

* * *

**Matt's PoV**

"'Psy, behind you!"

Psy turns around and blasts a Hitmonchan with a Psychic. It's definitely down for the count.

**Thanks.**

I turn back to my own Guard. I had already put two bullets in both his knees, so I'm pretty positive he isn't going anywhere.

I look up to see Triton freezing a trio of guards together with his Ice Beam. He walks up and taps on the ice, pretending they're fish in a fish bowl. Their eye's move around franticly, clearly freaked out from being frozen.

He turns around, and shoots me a triumphant face.

My Pokémon are enjoying themselves more than I am. I don't see the thrill in it anymore. Doesn't matter. We still have a job to do. I'm also worried about Cobra. I've been telling Psy to let Cobra know that the doors should be opened now, but he hasn't responded. And the doors are still shut.

We sprint for the stairs, and Triton looses another Ice Beam, sealing in the rest of the Guards on the second level.

"Let's go find Cobra, and get out of this blasted warehouse."

They both agree.

We walk cautiously down the staircase, anxious to see if Cobra is ok. When we get to the door, I look to the others. I grab onto the knob with one hand, and in the other I hold up 3 fingers.

They both nod in understanding.

I drop the fingers down to two.

They tense up and get ready.

Down to one.

I open the door and step to the side. Nothing.

I glance at Psy and Triton, telling them to stay ready, as I walk through the door. When I turn to look forward again, a fist is blocking my vision, coming down at me like the Almighty Hand of God.

As unconsciousness takes me, and I hear the sound of my Pokémon struggling against our captors, I can only think of one thing.

_My life officially sucks._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Cliffy! I know, I know, sorry. Don't worry; I won't leave you guys in the dark for too long. Chapter 5 should be up in a day or so. At the rate I've been updating though, probably sooner. I changed the Prologue to the official Chapter 1, mostly cause it gave me a headache otherwise. I'm introducing Cobra's PoV this chapter too. Not only is he a fun guy to think as, but the way he talks is hilarious. Thanks for all the reviews so far! **


	5. Triton's Arrival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

**A/N: Hey everybody. Some of you have been requesting some back story on Matt and his team, so I decided on a little project. I'm going to post some side-chapters up, telling how Matt met and captured his other three Pokémon. And just to make it more interesting, it'll be from their PoV. They will have nothing to do with the main story, so you can skip them if you want to.**

**

* * *

**

**Triton's PoV**

_(4 years before the events of Blue Rocket)_

I swam after my fellow allies, kicking my feet, and wind milling my arms. I wish that I still had my Poliwag tail; I can swim much faster with it then with these useless land legs. The Sergeant tells me that in order to be a useful addition to the L.D.F. I have to be able to fight on both land, and in water. "Above and Below," he says.

I look up from my frantic swimming to see that the rest of my squad has long left me behind. I do not blame them. Ever since I evolved a few days ago, I've been holding them back. I realize that they must think of the group has a whole, and not worry about one lone straggler. It's what I would do.

I give up and sink down to the bottom of the lake. I'll get used to these ridiculous appendages soon enough. Until then, there is no sense in self-pity. "Doubt. Impatience. Envy. Pity. The things that make a soldier weak and unable to perform his duty," I remember my Sergeant saying.

I look up and see the sun reflecting down through the water, illuminating the landscape. This lake has been my home for many years now. I will defend it, no matter what.

From a military perspective, I can see that there are a few flaws with our defense tactics. It would take merely one trainer with a strong water type, a Seaking or…worse," a picture of a Gyarados comes to mind, "to tear us down and destroy countless civilians. I will speak to my C.O. about this at the next opportunity.

That's strange. It was light out just a minute ago. I look and see something above is blocking out the light. This will not do. I swim up to the surface to investigate.

When I break the surface of the water, I notice three things: 1) The source of the shadow is a human boy peering down into the lake. 2) I doubt he expected me to make myself known directly in front of him, as he fell back with a surprised expression on his face. 3) I notice a net and a fishing pole set off to one side.

This is a security hazard. This human youngling must not be allowed to capture any of the denizens of this lake. It is too late to get back-up; my squad would be long gone to the other side of the lake at this point.

That leaves only one option. I must face this intruder alone.

I look deep inside me, to the water that is my own to command, and launch a Water Gun attack directly at his face. Unfortunately, my aim is off; I have practiced this maneuver only twice while on duty. The water flows directly over his left shoulder, grazing his ear. He flinches and seems to get angry.

"You little jerk!" he screams.

The boy grabs at his fishing pole, and holds it up as though it were a weapon.

I re-evaluate the situation. The boy could not be older than 12 or 13. I may be young myself, but he is no match for me.

I launch myself out of the water and land in front of him. I wobble unsteadily, my legs unused to a firm surface. As I struggle to keep myself from falling, the boy goes for a preemptive strike.

He lashes out with his weapon, striking me on both shoulders and almost reaching an orbital. This will not do.  
I leap at him with a Double Slap, attacking his face once, twice, three times.

His face is now red with fury, as well as slap marks from my strength.

He throws his weapon to the side; this puzzles me. One does not discard his weapon in the midst of battle. He must have a secondary ready to use.

I tense, waiting for the attack.

Instead, he slumps down. He sinks to his knees, as in defeat. For a second, I feel triumphant. I allow myself a congratulatory moment.

As soon as the boy senses my guard is down, he leaps, grabs at his net, and throws it at me. My feet are tangled before I can slice through it with a Water Gun. I try to move back to the water, me element, but I get tripped up by the netting. I fall to the ground with a _thud!_

I look up to the human boy, who bested me in strategy and intelligence. I have a new sense of respect for my adversary.

"Now that I have a moment to talk, why in the world did you attack me?" he asks, breathing hard from our skirmish.

"You will get nothing out of me until I see your Commanding Officer!"

I didn't realize all he heard out of me then was "Whirl-poli-poli-whirl!"

"Yeah, that makes sense." He shakes his head. "If I release you, will you attack me?"

Is he joking? Would he really hand back my freedom? It must be a trick, some new torture tactic.

Still…It cannot hurt to try.

I nod my head, waiting for the torture to begin. I begin reciting my L.D.F serial number and rank, in preparation for questioning.

"Private First Class Triton Pondwater, Serial Number 14066025, of the Lake Defense Force, Fourth Service Infantry."

The boy looks at me strange. Again, all he heard was "Poliwhirl whirl poli poli whirl polli."

"O-kay. I'll take that as a yes."

The human approaches me and I cringe in advance. Show no fear. Show no pain.

He reaches for me and… untangles me from the net.

_?_

"Ok, now I'm going to back away, real slow, and leave you alone now."

I am…being released?

True to his word, the boy backs away to a safe distance and turns to leave.

I realize that if he were to let me go, he could be considered an ally. From the way he defeated me, I could learn much from him. And if he is a trainer, I would learn even more from traveling with him, more so then with the L.D.F.

"Poliwhirl!"

The boy turns around to see me stumbling up on my still wobbly legs.

"What now?"

Since the human obviously does not understand me, I turn to hand signals.

I slowly raise my hand, point at myself, and then turn the hand to point at the boy.

"You want to come with me? Even after I whacked you with my fishing pole?"

I slowly nod. It seems this boy is slightly dense.

"Uhhh, ok then." He pulls out a spherical device. I recognize it as a Capture Sphere, something my Sergeant told us all to avoid. I flinch back and stare at the device.

"What? It's just a Pokéball. It's how I keep you with me while you rest or whatever. It lets everyone know that you belong to me." He looks unsure now.

Understanding fills me. This is why Sarge wanted us to avoid these things. I nod my head, enthusiastic now.

"Alright then. Here, catch."

He tosses the Capture Sphere at me, and surprised, I catch it out of instinct. As soon as I touch it, it opens and a bright light envelops my field of vision. I feel a tugging sensation, and the next thing I know I'm in a strange limbo. I can see what's happening around me, but In a detached way. And it seems I am restricted to only see from the vantage point of the Capture Sphere.

All of a sudden, I see another flash of white light, and I am back outside with the boy.

I feel relieved. I was only in there a brief amount of time, but it already seemed too long for my taste. I will have to convince this boy to allow me to stay out as much as possible.

Speaking of the boy…

I turn to see him looking at me. He extends his hand out towards me, as if I were to grasp it.

"My name is Mathew. You can call me Matt," he says.

I take his hand and he shakes both mine and his in a vertical motion.

"What's your name?"

Since he obviously doesn't speak Pokémon, I drop down to the ground and begin drawing. I draw a giant water-king, ruler of the deep. It is neither human or Pokémon.

When I am done, the boy looks at it. The image is one shared by both Pokémon and humans, so he should be able to recognize it.

"Hey that's a picture of Triton. Your name is Triton?" he asks.

I nod. I give him a salute, and go to stand by his side.

"Nice to meet you, Triton."

* * *

**A/N: And there is the magical meeting of Boy and Pokémon. Lol. This is before Matt joined Team Rocket, so he was just a kid out fishing. I'll post another side-chapter in a few days, about Psy. The main story should be updated in a few hours, actually. Stay tuned.**


	6. Betrayed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

**

* * *

**

I wake up, confused. What happened? Why am I tied up?

I look around, and as I see both Psy and Triton likewise trapped, my memory starts to flood back to me.

**We got caught.**

Thanks for the obvious, Psy.

**You're welcome.**

I guess sarcasm is lost on psychics.

**Your mom is lost on a lot of things.**

Good one.

**She gave me a good one too.**

Ok, that's enough smartass.

**Speaking of asses, your mom-**

Enough!

I glare at Psy. Even bound and gagged, it seems like he's trying to hold back a smile.

I glance at Triton. He seems to be ok. A little pissed off at the fact that we _actually_ got captured, but otherwise fine.

I finally take a good look around the room. Seems to be a big, windowless, jail cell. Then I notice all the cleaning supplies in the corner, and the lack of bars between us and the door.

They put us in a closet?

**Yep.**

Now, I was mad enough about being a prisoner. Now they just made it all undignified by putting us in a closet. Someone is gonna die.

I throw my next thought at Psy.

You get in contact with Cobra. I don't care what that little toad is doing, and I don't care if you have to force your way into his mind. You tell him that if he isn't here to bust us out in 10 minutes, I'm getting rid of my refrigerator.

If I had said that to anyone that hadn't been living with Cobra for the last few years, it would have made no sense. But everyone on my team knew that when the fridge is involved, Cobra doesn't mess around.

**Cobra's PoV**

**

* * *

**

Where in tarnation is tha' rest o' my team?

It been almost an 'our since we split. I still hidin' from tha' dang gun stupid guardin' folks. I startin' get tired from all tha' Faint Attacks I been havin' ta do ta stay hiddin. From ma hidin' place on top o' some random box, I c'n see tha' there is a bunch more on tha ground floor. There was no way Matt and ma teamies coulda tak'n all of these critters on by ourselves. Ev'n with a few dozen grunts, it would 'ave been tough. That meant one thing:

They sent us here ta get caught.

Those lousy, no good, double crossin' snakes! Wait till I get ma hands on em.

I stop ta tink for a sec. Ok, so, if'n the plan was for us ta get caught, then tha otha's musta be caught a'ready, or they'da be here right now. So tha' means I gots ta-

**He's still fighting me. I don't know if he realizes it or not, but he's fighting.**

Whatin turnation…?

**Oh! It seems I've broken through. Cobra!**

Psy?

**What other psychic do you know, you poisonous hick?**

Well, there was this'n back in tha safari zone…

**Oh shut up! Matt says and I quote "**If you're not here to bust us out in 10 minutes, I'm getting rid of the refrigerator."

I freeze.

He wouldn't…

**Uhhh, yeah. You should see him. He's totally pissed off. He thinks we've been set up.**

I was justa tinkin' that.

**Yeah. I know. Psychic, remember?**

Wha' was that bout me fightin' ya?

**Um, hello? You have 10 minutes before Matt gets royally pissed at you. I suggest you hurry. I'll explain later.**

Keep ya panties on. Where are ya?

**Small closet, probably on the ground floor, there are most likely guards outside.**

Hold up. Why haven't ya gone an' teleported ev'ryone outa there yet?

**I've been trying! Every time I get close to doing it, the energy slips away. It was hard enough to contact you. I think they drugged me.**

Crap.

**Yeah, that's one word for it. Hey, if you see any Dawn stones on your way here, feel free to pick them up. Being just a psychic sucks.**

I'll be sure ta keep tha' in mind. Now, get out o' ma head, you durn psychic freak.

**I love you too…**

A'right. Time ta get ta work.

* * *

**Riolu's PoV**

Matt is in trouble. I can feel it. I have to help him.

I try to get out of the bed I have been residing in for the last two day, but again, my strength fails me. I fall back and try to catch my breath. The pain from my injuries knocked the wind out of me.

I feel like screaming. My Aura-bound trainer, whether or not he accepts it, is in trouble and I cannot do a thing about it!If I could only move, I would destroy whatever was threatening Matt_. __**I WOULD RIP IT APART.**_

I look down at my useless body, and I get the breath knocked out of me again.

A faint, white, almost ghost-like glow is spreading over my entire body.

What…?

* * *

**Cobra's PoV**

Somehow, I reck'n I don't know, I found out where Matt an' tha otha's are bein' held.

There was one darn door wit' half o' dozen guards an' Pokémon surroundin' it. They was circlin' the wagons, I c'n say for sure.

I sit back down on tha' crate I'm on and tink. I try an' talk ta Psy again.

Psy? Partner? Ok, this is foolish I reck'n.

**What? Where are you?**

Right outside. There ain't no way I c'n get in there. You have 'n entire army guardin' ya.

…

Psy?

**Hold on. I'm relating this to Matt.**

Can't ya just… put 'im on?

**I'm not a phone, you redneck!**

Shut up an' give Matt tha… I mean, connect me ta him.

Psy growls at me like'n angry doggie, but does what I ask him ta.

**Cobra? **

Howdy Sherrif.

**How's it look?**

Not good. At leas' four rustlers, that I c'n see, and ova' dozen Pokémon. I c'n only see a couple o' dark types, but mos' of dem are psychics and fliers. We was set up Matt. They knew we was comin'. They're all ready to up an' get dem some fightin' types.

**Yeah, I figured. They even had some kind of drug ready for Psy. This is the way you talk? No wonder you're so laid back.**

I grimace.

Yeah, poke fun, ev'n though I reck'n ima ya only hope.

* * *

**Matt's PoV**

We're screwed.

**Hey! You lil scudder, I'm tryin' ma' best' out hare.**

Right. Man, I can't get over how you talk.

**Keep it up, an' Ima' walk away right now.**

Sorry.

**Is there any durn'd openin's in that there jail house?**

I look around the room for the umpteenth time.

Nothing. It's sealed pretty tight. Without the crack under the door, we'd probably suffocate.

**Damn! Hold on partner, somebody's a comin' ma way.**

"_Well, this doesn't look good," _I think to myself.

**Nope. **Psy just has to throw in his two cents.

Is nothing sacred?

**Nope.**

I grind my teeth together and again try to break my bonds. My wrists are already raw from rounds 1 and 2 with the rope.

Psy?

**Now you want to talk.**

Shut up and listen. How's Shadow Sneak been coming?

Psy doesn't answer for awhile, so I struggle to turn around to look at him. He won't meet my eyes. He has been practicing it, hasn't he?

Psy?

**It's hard. And it hurts to do. I'm a Psychic type. We're not meant to do Ghost-type moves.**

It's kind of an emergency.

…**Ok. I'll try.**

Psy closes his eyes in concentration. His body starts to glow. Not the blue I've seen time and time again in his eyes. This glow is dark. Malevolent. It's a putrid purple, the color of a nasty bruise. When he opens his eyes, they're completely black. The pupil, the iris, even the whites of his eyes, had gone as dark as midnight. His shadow starts creeping out behind him, bigger and darker, even though there is no source of light in the room bright enough. His shadow grows larger, looking more life-like, and more sentient. Just when I could swear Psy's evil twin brother, literally, is in the room with us, Psy gives out a cry of pain and it disappears.

**I-I'm sorry Matt. I tried so hard. **He looks broken. He even trips over his words in his pain.

It's ok Psy. I'm sorry I made you do it.

**If only I was a fighting type too. I'm sure it wouldn't bother me much.**

Don't worry about it. We can get out of this.

In my head, I'm thinking I should have pushed him harder to practice it before we got in mess like this. We could get out of this right now if he could just use one move right.

Good thing he's too tired to hear me.

I guess it's up to Cobra. God, help us.

* * *

**Cobra's PoV**

I managed ta avoid getting' caught from tha stupid guard that came ma way, but it was close'n.

As far as I c'n tell, Matt an' tha otha's are dun fo'. There ain't no way ta get inside without getting' caught, and there's no way I could up 'n take em myself.

I was just 'n about ready to give up an' do a suicide run, when I got tackled from behind. _Hard._

When I hit tha ground, ma breath flies out 'n one long "Croaaaaaaa". I pray that they didn't hear that, or we're F'd.

"_Who are you and what have you done with Matt?"_

I turn over ta see some strange blue Pokémon standin' ova' me. _"Looks kind o' like a jackal,"_ I randomly tink.

"Done wit Matt? I ain't _done_ nothin'; I'm tryin' ta save 'im. Who tha hell are ya?"

The creature looks me up and down for a moment.

"_Oh," _she sounds apologetic. _"Forgive me; you must be one of Matt's Pokémon."_

She steps back and gives me a hand up.

"Yeah, I am. Now, what in tarnation is you?

_I am Lucario. I am Matt's Aura-bound._

I stare at her. Aura… where have I heard that before…

"You that crazy non-psychic chick Matt told us about!"

"_He said I was crazy?" _The… Lucario… looks offended.

"Nah, I just up 'n came ta that conclusion myself. What are ya doin' hare, kid?"

"_I am not a kid anymore! I matured along with my evolution."_

"Yeah, whateva. In case you ain't noticed, Matt and tha otha's are gonna be pushin' up daisies right quick hare, so I don't have time ta be talking ta ya."

"_That is why I am here. Matt needs help."_

"Well, take a look'n at what we up 'gainst then."

That Lucario whatsit was to tha edge o' tha box and back again 'fore I could even spit.

"What was that?"

"_Extreme Speed. The need to get here quickly was great, so I learned it."_

"You jus…wanted ta get here fast… an' you learned a move?"

"_Yes… is that wrong?"_

I wasn't even goin' to get inta it.

"Well, we need us a move right now tha' can seriously kick ta hell out o' all those scudders down there. Got anythin'?"

A dangerous glint was in her eye.

"_Yes. Do you want to sit back and watch?"_

"There ain't no way in hell I'm missin' this party."

**Matt's PoV**

**

* * *

**

Psy, what's Cobra doing now?

**It looks like he's getting ready to do a last ditch effort to save us.**

F.

Tell him to-

**Wait! Something just hit him. It looks…like that Riolu!**

What? How? Do you even know what it looks like?

**I've seen it in your mind. Only…**

What? Only what?

**It looks…different. Older. Different.**

Different how?

**Different like it evolved different.**

…

Wow.

**They're talking now. It looks like they're plotting. They're planning a rescue attempt!**

Sweet Baby Jesus.

* * *

**Cobra's PoV**

Afta' we worked out tha details of our plan, Lucario vanished. Man tha' is cool. I get ready ta do ma part. I use ma Faint Attack and git as close ta tha door as I c'n, without alertin' any guardin' fellers.

Now I wait. _"Anytime now would be good, ya hear."_

All of a sudd'n, a giant sphere o' blue en'rgy crashes through tha side o' tha buildin'. It made a hole at least tha size o' a Golem. The guards is frozen for a sec, an' then someone, probably tha leader, started yellin' out some orders.

"You three," he points at a single guard and a Kadabra, along with a Pidgetto. "Stay here and guard the prisoners. Everyone else, with me!"

Most o' them run off. I look back ta tha top o' tha crate I had jus' been on, and saw tha durned Lucario waitin' for me ta make ma move.

I take a deep breath, an' hold it. Here we go.

I take aim at tha' Kadabra and use'n ma Swagger. As soon as I see its eyes redden, an' I know fer sure it's a confused lil feller, I launch myself at tha' Pidgetto. I land on its back an' spew ma Toxic right onto its head, then leapt ta tha ground. Face meltin', and angrier then a snake 'n a rockin' chair fact'ry, it took off inta tha air, only ta hit tha ceilin' of tha warehouse. Wham, splat.

I turn 'round ta see the barrel of a gun starin' me down.

"Say goodnight," the guard sneers. He twitches once, something red smoking behind him.

He suddenly drops to the ground, eyes rolling, bowels voided.

"Good night there, feller."

I look to the Lucario that took his place and ask, "What bout tha Kadabra?"

She looks behind me an' ta tha left. _"What about it?"_

I turn round ta see tha Kadabra hittin' I'self in tha face wit its own spoon. It hit I'self again, an' then dropped ta tha ground, knocked out cold.

Well, whooo-eee. I guess it "Spooned" I'self.

**You're as bad as me. Now let us out.**

Psy? How'd ya know they all gone?

**Still psychic. That hasn't changed in the last, oh I don't know, 10 minutes.**

Riiiiight.

I look back to Lucario, only ta see she moved ta tha door.

"_It is locked."_

I snort. "Please. I been in Team Rocket fo' how long now?"

I move her aside, an' kneel down in front o' tha door. I take aim at tha handle, and spew Toxic all o'er it. In less th'n 30 seconds, tha handle an' tha area round it is melted right nice.

I kick it open ta see a sight fo' sore eyes.

* * *

**Matt's PoV**

The door flies open, and standing there, looking as high as ever, is Cobra.

"Croaaaaa-gunk. Gunk, gunk, gunk, gunk."

What?

**He's saying you look like a damsel in distress. And laughing.**

Well, tell him to untie me so I can put _him _in distress.

**Done.**

Cobra shakes his head and moves to untie me. Before he can take a step, I'm already standing erect, hands and mouth free, with some blue thing hugging me.

"_Master."_

I look down to see my Riolu.

"_I am a Lucario now, master."_

"Stop calling me master. Matt will work just fine."

"_Yes…Matt."_

Thanks for saving me. I would never say it out loud.

"_You're welcome."_

Damn non-psychic psychic.

"What took you so long Cobra?"

He snorts. He knows me well enough that he knows I'm not serious. Much. He walks over to Triton, and undoes his restraints, who jumps up and literally roars. Like a dormant sea monster awakening from a slumber. He looks at me with rage in his eyes.

I give him a nod.

"Go apeshit."

He takes off out the door, and we can hear Hydro Pumps and Body Slams resounding in the warehouse. Along with the screams of anything that got in his way.

**Guess he didn't like being held captive.**

I glance over my shoulder to see Cobra had untied Psy, and had helped him up.

"Nope," I say, popping the P.

"Gunk. Crooaaa-croa, gunk gunk."

**Cobra wants to know if he can join Triton.**

I give him the ok. He runs off, shimmering out of visibility as he goes.

"Let's go have a look, shall we?"

We follow the sounds of enraged battling Pokémon to find Triton and Cobra had literally destroyed anything in their way. I see one body with half of its chest melted, and one right next to it frozen and chopped into pieces.

**Look.**

I look to where Psy is pointing to see men and Pokémon alike frozen to the ceiling. There'll be hell of a mess to clean up when the ice melts.

"Hey, wasn't that in a movie? "Alien", right?"

**Your mom was in movie.**

I sigh.

"_What movie was Matt's mother in?" _Lucario asks.

"Never mind."

**You'll learn when you get older.**

"_I __**am **__older."_

"Stop. Where is Triton and Cobra?"

As if hearing his name, Cobra appears right in front of me.

"Croaaaaaa."

"Gah! Don't do that!"

"Croa-oh-oh-oh-oh-gunk."

"Shut up! Where's Triton?"

He points, and we see Triton leap to the top of some random crate stacked in the warehouse.

"What's he…?"

I trail off mid-sentence, as I see Triton leap into the air, point his elbow towards the ground, and fall back to the Earth. A loud _BOOM! _along with a quieter _crack _follows.

"Oh dear lord, what did he just break?"

**I think he broke…everything. Excluding him.**

We run around the crate blocking our view to see him standing atop a huge, broken looking Rhydon. The thing is utterly wrecked. It looks like something burrowed its way out from _inside _it.

He looks at me and I see one of the happiest smiles I've ever seen in his eyes.

That scares me.

"Ok, Triton, I think they're all…gone now."

He hops off the mangled body, and walks over to us.

He holds up his hand. I stare at him. He jerks his hand around in the air, impatient. I finally relent and give him a high five.

He then salutes and stands at attention at my side.

_O-kaaaaay._

"_Matt? I sense some people outside. It looks like they're trying to get inside the warehouse."_

**Lucario is right, Matt. Alex and the rest of her grunts are trying to get in. Probably to see if we're still alive.**

At the thought of Alex, and her betrayal, I get furious. How dare she!

**Not the time. We need to get out of here. Now.**

"Your right. There'll be a next time…"

Triton looks ready for more, but I'm not about to let that happen.

"Good job Triton. Rest for a bit." I return him. He frowns at me slightly, as the red glow engulfs him.

"Cobra?"

He perks up.

"You get free access to the fridge. If we ever get back to it again."

He jumps and lets loose an almighty "Croooooooooooooooooooaaaaa-gunk."

I return him as well.

I turn to Lucario. "I don't have a Pokéball for you yet. But, as of now, you are definitely on my team. We can sort out the Aura stuff later."

She squeals and hugs me again. I gently pat her back.

"_Thank you master. I will never fail you."_

"Just Matt. Can you meet me here?" I summon up a mental picture of my Castle, and how to get there.

"_Of course." _ And she's gone. Just like that.

**She's most likely already there.**

I blow out a long breath.

"Can you teleport now?"

In answer, he disappears, only to reappear a few feet to my right.

"Ok. Get ready. I want to have a quick chat with Alex, but we may have to get out of here at any point."

**Of course.**

I turn around and wait for Alex to show. It doesn't take long. Within in minutes, she's walking up to us with a dozen grunts trailing behind her.

"So," she says. "You're still alive."

"Sorry to disappoint you, _Alexandria._"

She flushes at her full name. "Your right. I _am _disappointed."

"So, why betray me?"

She smirks. "Why? Because you have everything. And you _despise _it. You had the boss's favor, the best perks, everything. And then you just sit there and _waste _it."

I let that sink in. "So… you're jealous?"

Her face turns crimson. "I AM NOT JEALOUS!" she screams.

**Sure seems like it.**

She whirls on my Kirlia. "You stay out of this, you cross-dressing freak!"

Psy is totally unfazed. **It's called a kilt in Scotland.**

"So you went against orders from Giovanni," a few of the grunts shudder at his name, "and let the Guards know I was coming? Specifically me, with all fighting type Pokémon?"

She laughs. "Giovanni is the one who ordered it, Matt."

What? No…

"Yeah, him. He knows you saved that pathetic little Riolu. He was watching, as he is now." She looks up.

"What does that have to do with anything?" The grunts start to make a half circle around me and Psy.

"That Riolu? Giovanni himself dumped it in that alleyway. He paid those two thugs you killed to beat it to death."

I remembered the two kids I took care of. They were hired by the Boss?

"Why?"

"Beats me," she chuckles at her own pun. "He said something about the Riolu being "unfit to live". I wasn't really paying attention. I do remember how mad he was when you killed them. Even worse when you took it _to a Pokémon Center._ So, we, he and I, concocted this ridiculously suicidal raid for you to do. And fail. Did you even look in any of the containers?"

She kicks one over. It breaks on contact with the ground, and out spills… toilet paper.

**We risked our lives for toilet paper? **

"I don't believe this…"

She snorts. "Well, believe it. And now, I think it's time we end this."

She looks at the grunts, all holding Sub-Machine Guns.

I glance over at Psy to see that he's already looking at me. Waiting. I nod the tiniest bit.

Alex looks back at me. She sees Psy glowing blue with Psychic-type energy and her eyes widen.

I wink and give her my best "You just can't win, can ya?" smile.

"KILL THEM!"

As the grunts unload, my vision warps.

The bullets screaming towards us are too slow.

With a final flash of light, we are out of there.

* * *

**A/N: Whew! My longest chapter yet! What did you all think of this one? Just about 5,000 words. I honestly don't know what came over me. I just got into the zone, and sat down and wrote this whole thing. Took 3 hours. Plus another hour to edit it so Cobra sounded southern. Sorry if any of you liked Cobra's PoV, but I am never, never, ever, never, ever, ever doing it again. It took sooooooo long.**

**Psy is my "That's what she said/your mom joke" lifeline, if you haven't noticed already. Even in fics like this, there's always a comedic relief. Deal with it.**

**I also changed the requirements for a Riolu to evolve into a Lucario, from maximum happiness during the day, to the amount of love they have for their trainer. So, guess Lucario really cares for Matt, eh? And yes, she learned a move directly after she evolved. Why not? It happens in the games.**

**This fic is really kickin' off now. I have a pretty good idea where it's going now, so stay tuned for more "Blue Rocket"! (Cause it's about a Rocket Admin…and his Lucario…whose blue. Let's see how long this title lasts for)**

**If you haven't already, check out Syzdoth's fic, Feather Head, and definine-originiality's fic, Evolution. They're really, really good. Do it, or I'll sick Triton on you (I think he came off as a nutcase in this chapter :])****. **


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